8 of the best Dublin openers of 2023 so far, Lovin Dublin

1. La Gordita

Location: Montague Street

Coming 10 years after Tapas de Lola opened on Wexford Street, La Gordita is a Spanish bodega-style restaurant that has small plates with big flavours. Described as the mature Tapas de Lola, La Gordita translates to the Spanish term of endearment “little fat one”.

While dishes may vary at La Gordita, they have all your classic categories such as carne (meat), pescados (fish), pica pica (nibbles) and curados y conservas (cured and preserved). With huge cuts of meat designed for sharing, eating with your hands is not only more efficient but encouraged, with no disapproving looks of judgement.

Dishes vary considerably in cost; some plates may only cost you €12.50 but the likes of the lobster is going to set you back €37, with a caviar and potato crisps dish costing €65, meaning this 2023 opener will likely be saved by most for a special occasion. The wine list is ever-evolving, made up of French and naturally Spanish vinos to help wash down your sharing plates.

La Gordita’s more mature flavours have lived up to the hype set for them by their sister restaurant, expertly settling into the Dublin hospitality landscape, like they have always been there.

Go for? An intimate occasion dinner among friends